Latex-hack.



J. DA G. GADBLHA.

'LATEX HACK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.3,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ligpl-I 1Q. E. j

Illll! E mlmwii! Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

J. DA c. GADELHA.

LATEX HACK.. d APPLICATION FILED JAN.V3,1912. 1,047,758. l f Patented Dec. 17,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

Jaa@ 46mm GMM@ je? y wfg? specification.

N UiviTiiD sTATEs PATENT oFFiCE.

JACOB DA CosTA GADELHA, or NOVA visTA, yCOMARCA Dn LABREA, isRAzii..l

LATFIX-HACK. f

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known th'at I, JACOB DA COSTA GADELHA, a citizen of the Republic of the United States ofy Brazil, residing `at Nova Vista, Comarca de Labrea, Statev of Amazonas, Republic of.y Brazil, haveA invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latex-Hacks, of which the following is a yThe present invention has reference to latex hacks, and it comprehends, briefly, a liatchet-sliaped implement of the type specified which is constructed in such a manner as to permit incisions to be made, even by unskilled hands, inthe bark of lactiferous trees without fear of injuring thek woodof the trees. This result is obtained by providing the head of the implement with a pair of blades which are loosely connected thereto at their inner ends, so as to enable them to swing toward and from eachother, and which are normally held a certain distance apart.

VVhen the implement is struck against tree, the sharpened free ends of both blades "enter the bark and,"by reason of their shape,

are caused .to approach each other until they .meet, or nearly meet, rtherein at a predetermined distance from the outer surface of the bark, from which latter, when with# drawn, they will remove a section cut bythe converging incisions. A I wound is thus 'i trated formed in the bark which has the shape of f a 'dihedral angle, theapeX of thefangle being located close to the inner surface of the bark, so that no injury is doney to the wood ofthe tree. 'j f An embodiment of the invention lisillusin the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of thecom# plete implement; Fig. k2 yis an enlarged front elevation of the head of rsaid? implement,`

showing the'blades in ynormal position; Fig.

3 is a sectional view takenon the line z-j-b of Fig. 4, showingthe blades in` operated position; Fig. 4 isa sectional viewltaken-on i fthe line c-f-a -of'Fig 2; Fig. 5 is abottrom plan view" of the head, the blades being omitted; Fig. 6 is ka fragmental sectional view of the head, showing one of the sockets formed therein; Fig. 7 is a combined side i and front elevation ofrone ofthelblades;

Fig.- 8 is a perspective view of a sectionof a lactiferous tree, showing the wound produced therein by the implement; Figs. 9

and 10 kare side and front elevations, respectively, of a modified form of the invention; and Fig. 1l is a plan view of one ofthe blades employed in the modified form.

As shown in said drawings, the implement consists, essentially, of a handle A, which may be of any suitable type, and a working partor head B, the latteripart presenting the most important feature of the invention. The aforesaid working part B comprises a block or head proper 1, provided with the usual eye wherein the handle end is received, anda pair of similar blades 2 and'3. The block 1 is formed with a pair of sockets 4 and 5 which, as shown, open through the front face thereof, but terminate short of vthe rear face 6; the majory orinner portions 7 of these sockets are cylindrical, andthey communicate and lead outwardly through openings 8 inthe bottom `face 9 ofthe block. Blades 2 and 3 rterminate attheir respective inner ends in cylindrical enlargements 2 and 3 thatfit loosely in the socket portions 7 and are-held therein by a plate 20 secured to the fronty face ofblock 1, while PatentedDec. 17, 1912. Application inea January s, 191,2. serial No. 669,162.

their outer kends 2 and 3 are sharpened to produce cutting edges, ras indicated by the numerals 12 and 13, the latter ends being l' curved inwardly toward each other.'

To provide for an oscillatory movement of the blades in their sockets, the distance between the edges 8 andv 8 of the openings 8 is made somewhatfgreater than the thicknessy of the blades at the junction points be,- tween the yblade bodies or ishanks and the enlargements 2, 3. It is intended, however, to limit the swinging movement of the blades in both directions, and yto this end suitable stop'devices of various kinds may be employed. In the construction represented lin detail in Fig. 3, the stops `for .i

limiting the outward movement yof the blades are constituted ,by v,the outer edges 8 of theopenings `8. To limit the inward movement ofsaid blades, there is shown a plate16 which is fastenedto; the portion of the `bottom k.face ofk block I 1 between Lsaid openings; the edges 14 and 15 of this plate form the stops, but it will `be obviousv y'that said plate may be omitted andv the inner edges 8 of the openings 8 be utilized as the stops, detail illustration of the latter feature j being considered unnecessary.A Specially constructedv stops may be substituted for thestop edges 8', if desired, anexample of such stops beingshown in Figs. 9 and 10, wherein the stops are constituted by a pair of members disposed transversely of the blades and connected together, at their corresponding ends, so that the resultant structure m has substantially the shape of a yoke. These members, which thus constitute the legs of the yoke, are inclined in opposite directions and are slidably engaged in guides n, provided upon the blades, in order to enable the yoke to be shifted endwise, the yoke being nor mally forced upward by a spring o att-ached to block l and being depressed against the action of the spring bymeans of a bell crank lever g pivoted to handle A and connected by a chain Z9, or the like, with said yoke.

The blades are normally held at the limit of their outward movement, with their cutting edges separated, by a spring 18, here shown as secured to plate 16 by the screw, or the like, used to attach that plate to block l, the distance between said edges being equal to the breadth Z of the wound c, to be made in the bark of the tree. Consequently, when the yoke m is made use of, the breadth of the wound may be regulated by shifting the yoke in the proper direction, this being effected by the pressure of the fingers of the operator upon the lower arm of the lever g.

The ends of the curved outer surfaces of the blades are so constructed that the tangents t and t to these curves form an angle with the outer surface 8 of the bark z', (see Figs. 3 and S) when the cutting edges come in contact with that surface. As a result, said edges, when penetrating surface s, move toward each other until they finally come together at or close to the outer surface r of the body u of the tree, at which point the wedge thus formed is stopped by resistance offered by the bark. Vhen the implement is subsequently withdrawn, the wound inflicted in the bark will be found to have the shape of a dihedral angle, the length, breadth and depth of which are dependent upon the length of the cutting edges of the blades, the normal distance between said edges, and the angle formed by the tangents t and t.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a latex hack, the combination, with a handle; of a head attached to said handle and comprising a block formed with a pair of sockets, and a pair of similar coacting cutting blades having their inner ends fitted loosely in said sockets, `to permit said blades to swing toward and from each other, said head being provided with stops forlimiting the movements of the` blades toward and from each other.

2. In a latex hack, the combination, with a handle; of a head attached to said handle and comprising a block formed with a pair of sockets, a pair of similar coacting cutting blades having their inner ends loosely fitted in said sockets to permit said blades to swingl toward and from each other, and means for normally holding the outer ends of the blades separated, said outer ends being curved inwardly toward each other whereby they are caused to approach each other in the bark of the tree against which the hack is struck, and said head being provided with stops for limiting the movements of said blades in both directions.

3. In a latex hack, the combination, with .a handle; of a head attached to said handle and comprisinga block formed with a pair of sockets which open through the bottom face thereof, a pair of similar coacting cutting blades having their inner ends fitted loosely in said sockets, to permit said blades to swing toward and from each other, the outer edges of said sockets constituting stops for limiting the movement of said blades away from each other, means for normally holding said blades against said stops, and a plate secured to the said bottom face of said block between said sockets, the opposite side edges of said plate constituting stops for limiting the movement of said blades toward each other.

4:. In a latex hack, the combination, with a handle, of a head attached to said handle and comprising a block formed with a pair of cylindrical sockets which open through the bottom face thereof, a pair of similar coacting blades provided at their inner ends with cylindrical enlargements loosely fitted in said sockets, to permit said blades to swing toward and from each other, a plate secured to the said bottom face of said block between said sockets, the opposite side edges of said plate constituting stops for limiting the movement of said blades toward each other, and the outer edges of said sockets constituting stops for limiting the movement of said blades away from each other, and a spring secured to said plate and bearing kagainst'said blades for normally holding the latter against the second-named stops, the outer ends of said blades being curved inwardly toward each other whereby they are caused to approach each other in the bark of the tree against which the hack is struck.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

.nicos DA cosrii GADELHA..

Witnesses: i

MAX 11A. KAEMPFF, HENRIQUE A. A.,AnENs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

